Conventionally, foldable portable phones that include two housings and that can be folded/unfolded have become widespread. FIG. 9 shows an example thereof. The portable phone 1 includes a first housing 2, a second housing 4, and a hinge section 3 connected both to the first housing 2 and the second housing 4. The first housing 2 includes components such as input buttons 9, function buttons 10, and a microphone hole 11. The second housing 4 includes components such as a display section 14 and a receiver 15. The second housing 4 is rotatable with respect to the first housing 2 on a first rotation axis 5 disposed in the hinge section 3. This allows the portable phone 1 to be unfolded and to be folded. FIG. 9 illustrates the portable phone 1 in an unfolded state, and FIG. 10 illustrates the portable phone 1 in a folded state.
Recently, foldable portable phones have become increasingly widespread, and even a foldable portable phone having two axes that are disposed in a hinge section and that can be rotated independently from each other has come to the market. Examples thereof can be found in Reference 1 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-118633, published on Apr. 19, 2002), in Reference 2 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-239943, published on Aug. 27, 2003), and in Reference 3 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-309756, published on Oct. 31, 2003).
In Reference 1, a first rotation axis for folding both housings and a second rotation axis disposed orthogonal to the first rotation axis are included, and when an upper housing is reversed 180 degrees on the second rotation axis and is folded, an image display section becomes visible, and therefore the screen can be watched without folding/unfolding the foldable portable phone in a reception waiting operation state. Reference 1 also indicates that users can play games on the foldable portable phone without occupying a space.
Reference 2 indicates that in an electronics device in which a main body on which an operation section is disposed and a covering section on which a display section is disposed are connected to each other in such a way that the covering section covers the operation section at the time when the operation section is not in operation, the covering section is disposed in such a way that it can be freely folded, unfolded and rotated, and two axes are disposed in such a way that the covering section can be freely pivoted and rotated 180 degrees on a pivot rotation section that is orthogonal to a rotation axis section so that the display section can be concealed or can be exposed on the upper face of the electronics device.
In Reference 3, a liquid crystal monitor section having a liquid crystal monitor and an operation section having operation buttons are disposed in such a way as to be rotatable on a hinge section, and a rotator is disposed in between the hinge section and the liquid crystal monitor section in such a way as to be rotatable at an angle between 0 degree and 360 degrees, and an photograph lens and a plurality of zoom lenses are further disposed on a central axis of the hinge section. This allows the liquid crystal monitor section to turn at 90 degrees clockwise so as to take self-portrait pictures, or to turn at 90 degrees counterclockwise so as to take pictures of other people.
On the other hand, reference arts in connection with a liquid crystal screen to be watched horizontally instead of vertically are described in Reference 4 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-156893, published on Jun. 8, 2001), Reference 5 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-319043, published on Nov. 7, 2003), and Reference 6 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-64716, published on Feb. 26, 2004).
In Reference 4, a unit section that turns a liquid crystal display section from a vertical position to a horizontal position or vice versa, and a display change-over section for changing the display of the liquid crystal display section from vertical to horizontal or vice versa along with the rotation of the display unit section are included to satisfy a demand for reading a vast amount of information with a horizontally positioned liquid crystal display section.
In Reference 5, a lower unit having an operation section, an upper unit having a display unit, and a hinge coupling the lower unit with the upper unit in such a way as to be folded/unfolded are included, and the upper unit has a display unit, a supporting unit, and a rotation/sliding mechanism. When the display unit is in a horizontal state as a result that the display unit is rotated/slidden, the horizontal state of the display is detected, and then the displayed contents are switched in accordance with the state of the display screen.
In Reference 6, a liquid crystal display section is supported by a supporting section connected to a base section of the main body of a telephone, and the liquid crystal display section is rotated in the horizontal direction at an angle of substantially 90 degrees, and the rotation is detected by a rotation direction detection circuit, so that the contents location and the display settings are adjusted in line with the display screen in a wide state.
Recently, a portable communication device equipped with a television receiver has come to the market. When a television receiver is installed in the portable communication devices disclosed in References 1, Reference 2, and Reference 3, the housing is positioned vertically under conceived places such as being on hand or being placed on a table, and the display section is vertically long. However, television is generally to be watched with a horizontally long screen. In order to watch television with a horizontally long display screen in the above-mentioned portable communication devices, a user is required either to turn the device horizontally or to incline his/her face. When the device is placed on the user's hand, the user can solve the aforesaid problem by holding the lower housing horizontally. However, when the device is placed on an object such as a desk, the user is required to obliquely incline his/her face and to look into the screen. In addition, if the upper housing and the display section in the vertical disposition are to be watched, it would bring a consequence either that the entire picture of television is narrowed or that the left and right edges of the picture are cut off.